Health minister under fire over sun bed confession

Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge has come under fire from doctors after admitting that he used a solarium twice a month.

De Jonge made the confession during an interview on chat show Jinek, when asked why he always looked as if he had just come back from holiday.

‘It is incomprehensible and dangerous,’ the Dutch dermatologists’ association said in a statement. ‘We are calling on the health minister to reject the use of sunbeds, if nothing else than to set an example,’ the NVDV said.

The organisation said it would also personally invited the minister to have his skin checked on national skin cancer day on June 2.

‘On that day, we invite everyone with an increased risk of skin cancer to have their skin looked at,’ the organisation said. ‘The minister falls into that category because he uses sun beds and we will personally invite him to attend.’

The minister told Jinek he started using sunbeds after people told him he looked miserable.

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